Disposable absorbent article with finger tab without compromising stretch

ABSTRACT

An absorbent article for personal wear includes inner and outer surfaces, an absorbent body disposed therebetween, and front waist, back waist, and crotch regions. The article also includes front and back side panels that are releasably attachable at a seam using an article fastening component and an article fastener landing zone to define a wear configuration of the absorbent article. The article also includes a finger tab attached to one of the front and back side panels, wherein the tab includes a tab fastening component, wherein a front or back side panel includes a tab landing zone, wherein the tab fastening component is fastened to the tab landing zone to form a tab connection when the article is in a wear configuration, and wherein the tab connection has lower peel and shear strengths per unit area than the peel and shear strengths per unit area of the seam.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to absorbent articles intendedfor personal wear, and more particularly to disposable absorbentarticles.

Many absorbent articles intended for personal wear, e.g., such asdiapers, training pants, feminine hygiene products, adult incontinenceproducts, bandages, medical garments and the like are designed to besufficiently absorbent to pull moisture from liquid body exudatesincluding urine, menses, blood, etc. away from the wearer to reduce skinirritation caused by prolonged wetness exposure. Diapers, as an example,are typically placed and secured on a wearer using a set of primaryfastening tabs, such as adhesive tabs or mechanical (e.g., hook or loop)fastening system tabs and left in place to absorb insults as well as tocontain fecal waste.

Training pants, unlike diapers, typically come pre-assembled in a wearconfiguration to more closely resemble conventional underpants. Inparticular, front and back waist regions of such training pants aretypically attached at a seam either permanently or refastenably (such asby a primary fastening system) to define a wear configuration of thepants having a waist opening and leg openings.

For such articles where the attachment is refastenable, such as diapersand training pants, a caregiver can find the attachment difficult toopen because the attachment is designed to withstand stresses placed onthe attachment by movement of the wearer without pop-opens (separationof the fasteners) occurring. The addition of a finger tab that extendstransversely from a side panel can assist a caregiver in opening theattachment.

SUMMARY

There is a need, therefore, for a finger tab system provided on anabsorbent article such as training pants for improved resistance topop-opens, but that is easily opened when such is intended.

Disclosed herein is a pant design that increases the ease of opening amechanical fastener side seam by providing a finger tab enabling theuser to manipulate the tab in a longitudinal peel motion that is lessresistant than a typical transverse peel motion, and that is providedwithout locking up or compromising stretch in the absorbent article.

In one aspect, an absorbent article for personal wear about a wearer'swaist has a transverse axis and includes a liquid permeable innersurface for facing the wearer, an outer surface for facing away from thewearer, an absorbent body disposed therebetween, and a front waistregion, a back waist region, and a crotch region extendinglongitudinally between and interconnecting the front and back waistregions. The article also includes a front side panel attached to thefront waist region and a back side panel attached to the back waistregion, the front and back side panels being releasably attachable todefine a wear configuration of the absorbent article having a waistopening and a leg opening spaced from the waist opening, wherein thefront and back side panels each extend from the waist opening to the legopening; and an article fastening component coupled to or integral withone of the front and back side panels and an article fastener landingzone coupled to or integral with the other of the front and back sidepanels, wherein the article fastening component is fastened to thearticle fastener landing zone to form a seam when the article is in awear configuration. The article also includes a finger tab attached toone of the front and back side panels, wherein the tab includes a tabfastening component, wherein a front or back side panel includes a tablanding zone, wherein the tab fastening component is fastened to the tablanding zone to form a tab connection when the article is in a wearconfiguration, and wherein the tab connection has lower peel and shearstrengths per unit area than the peel and shear strengths per unit areaof the seam.

In another aspect, an absorbent article for personal wear about awearer's waist has a transverse axis and a longitudinal centerline andincludes a liquid permeable inner surface for facing the wearer, anouter surface for facing away from the wearer, an absorbent bodydisposed therebetween, and a front waist region, a back waist region,and a crotch region extending longitudinally between and interconnectingthe front and back waist regions. The article also includes a front sidepanel attached to the front waist region and a back side panel attachedto the back waist region, the front and back side panels beingreleasably attachable to define a wear configuration of the absorbentarticle having a waist opening and a leg opening spaced from the waistopening, wherein the front and back side panels each extend from thewaist opening to the leg opening; and an article fastening componentcoupled to or integral with one of the front and back side panels. Thearticle also includes a finger tab attached to one of the front and backside panels, wherein the tab includes a tab fastening component, andwherein the article fastening component and the tab fastening componentare generally colinear and are both generally equidistant from thelongitudinal centerline when the article is in a wear configuration.

In still another aspect, an absorbent article for personal wear about awearer's waist has a transverse axis and includes a liquid permeableinner surface for facing the wearer, an outer surface for facing awayfrom the wearer, an absorbent body disposed therebetween, a front waistregion, a back waist region, and a crotch region extendinglongitudinally between and interconnecting the front and back waistregions, and a front side panel attached to the front waist region and aback side panel attached to the back waist region, the front and backside panels being one of permanently attached and releasably attachableto define a wear configuration of the absorbent article having a waistopening and a leg opening spaced from the waist opening, wherein thefront and back side panels each extend from the waist opening to the legopening. The article also includes an article fastening componentcoupled to or integral with one of the front and back side panels,wherein the article fastening component includes hook material, and afinger tab attached to one of the front and back side panels, whereinthe tab includes a tab fastening component including hook material, andwherein the hook material of the tab fastening component is configuredto engage the hook material of the article fastening component when thearticle is in a wear configuration.

Other features of the disclosure will be in part apparent and in partpointed out hereinafter. Other objects and advantages of the presentdisclosure will become more apparent to those skilled in the art in viewof the following description and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will be more fully understood, and furtherfeatures will become apparent, when reference is made to the followingdetailed description and the accompanying drawings. The drawings aremerely representative and are not intended to limit the scope of theclaims.

FIG. 1 is a side perspective of one aspect of a personal wear article inthe form of a pair of training pants having a finger tab systemillustrated in a fastened condition thereof;

FIG. 2 is a side perspective similar to FIG. 1 with a primary, orarticle fastening system of the training pants in a unfastened conditionon one side of the training pants and the finger tab system also in anunfastened condition;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the training pants of FIG. 1 in anunfastened, unfolded and laid flat condition, and showing the surface ofthe training pants that faces away from the wearer;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view similar to FIG. 3 showing the surface of thetraining pants that faces the wearer when worn and with portions cutaway to show underlying features;

FIG. 5 is a partial schematic view of an alternative to the finger tabsystem illustrated in FIGS. 1-4; and

FIG. 6 is a partial schematic view of another alternative to the fingertab system illustrated in FIGS. 1-4.

Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification anddrawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features orelements of the present disclosure. The drawings are representationaland are not necessarily drawn to scale. Certain proportions thereofmight be exaggerated, while others might be minimized.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is to be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that thepresent discussion is a description of exemplary aspects of the presentdisclosure only, and is not intended as limiting the broader aspects ofthe present disclosure.

Within the context of this specification, each term or phrase below willinclude the following meaning or meanings.

“Bonded” refers to the joining, adhering, connecting, attaching, or thelike, of two elements. Two elements will be considered to be bondedtogether when they are bonded directly to one another or indirectly toone another, such as when each is directly bonded to intermediateelements.

“Connected” refers to the joining, adhering, bonding, attaching, or thelike, of two elements. Two elements will be considered to be connectedtogether when they are connected directly to one another or indirectlyto one another, such as when each is directly connected to intermediateelements.

“Cross direction” refers to the width of a fabric in a directiongenerally perpendicular to the direction in which it is produced, asopposed to “machine direction” that refers to the length of a fabric inthe direction in which it is produced.

“Cross direction assembly” refers to a process in which disposableabsorbent products are manufactured in an orientation in which theproducts are connected side-to-side, in the transverse direction shownby arrow 49 in FIG. 3, a process utilizing a cross direction assemblyentails products traveling through a converting machine parallel to thedirection of arrow 49, as opposed to “machine direction assembly” inwhich the products are connected end-to-end or waist-to-waist.

“Disposable” refers to articles that are designed to be discarded aftera limited use rather than being laundered or otherwise restored forreuse.

“Disposed,” “disposed on,” and variations thereof are intended to meanthat one element can be integral with another element, or that oneelement can be a separate structure bonded to or placed with or placednear another element.

“Elastic,” “elasticized” and “elasticity” mean that property of amaterial or composite by virtue of which it tends to recover itsoriginal size and shape after removal of a force causing a deformation.

“Elastomeric” refers to a material or composite that can be elongated byat least 25 percent of its relaxed length and that will recover, uponrelease of the applied force, at least 10 percent of its elongation. Itis generally preferred that the elastomeric material or composite becapable of being elongated by at least 100 percent, more preferably byat least 300 percent, of its relaxed length and recover, upon release ofan applied force, at least 50 percent of its elongation.

“Fabrics” is used to refer to all of the woven, knitted and nonwovenfibrous webs.

“Film” refers to a thermoplastic film made using a film extrusion and/orfoaming process, such as a cast film or blown film extrusion process.The term includes apertured films, slit films, and other porous filmsthat constitute liquid transfer films, as well as films that do nottransfer liquid.

“Flexible” refers to materials that are compliant and that will readilyconform to the general shape and contours of the wearer's body.

“Hydrophilic” describes fibers or the surfaces of fibers that are wettedby the aqueous liquids in contact with the fibers. The degree of wettingof the materials can, in turn, be described in terms of the contactangles and the surface tensions of the liquids and materials involved.Equipment and techniques suitable for measuring the wettability ofparticular fiber materials or blends of fiber materials can be providedby a Cahn SFA-222 Surface Force Analyzer System, or a substantiallyequivalent system. When measured with this system, fibers having contactangles less than 90 are designated “wettable” or hydrophilic, whilefibers having contact angles greater than 90 are designated“nonwettable” or hydrophobic.

“Integral” or “integrally” is used to refer to various portions of asingle unitary element rather than separate structures bonded to orplaced with or placed near one another.

“Layer” when used in the singular can have the dual meaning of a singleelement or a plurality of elements.

“Liquid impermeable,” when used in describing a layer or multi-layerlaminate, means that a liquid, such as urine, will not pass through thelayer or laminate, under ordinary use conditions, in a directiongenerally perpendicular to the plane of the layer or laminate at thepoint of liquid contact. Liquid, or urine, can spread or be transportedparallel to the plane of the liquid impermeable layer or laminate, butthis is not considered to be within the meaning of “liquid impermeable”when used herein.

“Liquid permeable material” or “liquid water-permeable material” refersto a material present in one or more layers, such as a film, nonwovenfabric, or open-celled foam, which is porous, and which is waterpermeable due to the flow of water and other aqueous liquids through thepores. The pores in the film or foam, or spaces between fibers orfilaments in a nonwoven web, are large enough and frequent enough topermit leakage and flow of liquid water through the material.

“Longitudinal” and “transverse” have their customary meaning, asindicated by the longitudinal and transverse axes depicted in FIGS. 2and 3. The longitudinal axis lies in the plane of the article and isgenerally parallel to a vertical plane that bisects a standing wearerinto left and right body halves when the article is worn. The transverseaxis lies in the plane of the article generally perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis. The article as illustrated is longer in thelongitudinal direction than in the transverse direction.

“Machine direction” refers to the length of a fabric in the direction inwhich it is produced, as opposed to “cross direction” that refers to thewidth of a fabric in a direction generally perpendicular to the machinedirection.

“Machine direction assembly” refers to a process in which disposableabsorbent products are manufactured in an orientation in which theproducts are connected end-to-end or waist-to-waist, in the longitudinaldirection shown by arrow 48 in FIGS. 2 and 3, a process utilizing amachine direction assembly entails products traveling through aconverting machine parallel to the direction of arrow 48, as opposed to“cross direction assembly” in which the products are connectedside-to-side.

“Meltblown fiber” means fibers formed by extruding a moltenthermoplastic material through a plurality of fine, usually circular,die capillaries as molten threads or filaments into converging highvelocity heated gas (e.g., air) streams that attenuate the filaments ofmolten thermoplastic material to reduce their diameter, which can be tomicrofiber diameter. Thereafter, the meltblown fibers are carried by thehigh velocity gas stream and are deposited on a collecting surface toform a web of randomly dispersed meltblown fibers. Such a process isdisclosed for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,241 to Butin et al.Meltblown fibers are microfibers that can be continuous ordiscontinuous, are generally smaller than about 0.6 denier, and aregenerally self bonding when deposited onto a collecting surface.Meltblown fibers used in the present disclosure are preferablysubstantially continuous in length.

“Member” when used in the singular can have the dual meaning of a singleelement or a plurality of elements.

“Nonwoven” and “nonwoven web” refer to materials and webs of materialthat are formed without the aid of a textile weaving or knittingprocess.

“Operatively joined,” in reference to the attachment of an elasticmember to another element, means that the elastic member when attachedto or connected to the element, or treated with heat or chemicals, bystretching, or the like, gives the element elastic properties; and withreference to the attachment of a non-elastic member to another element,means that the member and element can be attached in any suitable mannerthat permits or allows them to perform the intended or describedfunction of the joinder. The joining, attaching, connecting or the likecan be either directly, such as joining either member directly to anelement, or can be indirectly by means of another member disposedbetween the first member and the first element.

“Peel force” and “peel strain” refer to forces that tend to pull twoadjoining bodies away from one another in opposite directions generallyperpendicular to a plane in which the bodies are joined.

“Permanently bonded” refers to the joining, adhering, connecting,attaching, or the like, of two elements of an absorbent garment suchthat the elements tend to be and remain bonded during normal useconditions of the absorbent garment.

“Polymers” include, but are not limited to, homopolymers, copolymers,such as for example, block, graft, random and alternating copolymers,terpolymers, etc. and blends and modifications thereof. Furthermore,unless otherwise specifically limited, the term “polymer” shall includeall possible geometrical configurations of the material. Theseconfigurations include, but are not limited to isotactic, syndiotacticand atactic symmetries.

“Refastenable” refers to the property of two elements being capable ofreleasable attachment, separation, and subsequent releasablereattachment without substantial permanent deformation or rupture.

“Releasably attached,” “releasably engaged” and variations thereof referto two elements being connected or connectable such that the elementstend to remain connected absent a separation force applied to one orboth of the elements, and the elements being capable of separationwithout substantial permanent deformation or rupture. The requiredseparation force is typically beyond that encountered while wearing theabsorbent garment.

“Shearing strain” refers to forces that tend to produce an opposite butparallel sliding motion between two bodies' planes.

“Spunbonded fiber” refers to small diameter fibers that are formed byextruding molten thermoplastic material as filaments from a plurality offine capillaries of a spinnerette having a circular or otherconfiguration, with the diameter of the extruded filaments then beingrapidly reduced as by, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,563 to Appelet al., and U.S. Pat. No. 3,692,618 to Dorschner et al., U.S. Pat. No.3,802,817 to Matsuki et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,338,992 and 3,341,394 toKinney, U.S. Pat. No. 3,502,763 to Hartmann, U.S. Pat. No. 3,502,538 toPetersen, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,542,615 to Dobo et al., each of which isincorporated herein in its entirety by reference. Spunbond fibers arequenched and generally not tacky when they are deposited onto acollecting surface. Spunbond fibers are generally continuous and oftenhave average deniers larger than about 0.3, more particularly, betweenabout 0.6 and 10.

“Stretchable” means that a material can be stretched, without breaking,to at least 150% of its initial (unstretched) length in at least onedirection, suitably to at least 200% of its initial length, desirably toat least 250% of its initial length.

“Superabsorbent” or “superabsorbent material” refers to awater-swellable, water-insoluble organic or inorganic material capable,under the most favorable conditions, of absorbing at least about 15times its weight and, more desirably, at least about 30 times its weightin an aqueous solution containing 0.9 weight percent sodium chloride.The superabsorbent materials can be natural, synthetic and modifiednatural polymers and materials. In addition, the superabsorbentmaterials can be inorganic materials, such as silica gels, or organiccompounds such as cross-linked polymers.

“Surface” includes any layer, film, woven, nonwoven, laminate,composite, or the like, whether pervious or impervious to air, gas,and/or liquids.

“Thermoplastic” describes a material that softens when exposed to heatand that substantially returns to a nonsoftened condition when cooled toroom temperature.

These terms can be defined with additional language in the remainingportions of the specification.

Referring now to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1, a personalwear absorbent article according to one aspect is illustrated in theform of a pants-type article for wear about a wearer's waist, and moreparticularly in the form of children's toilet training pants, indicatedin its entirety by the reference numeral 20. The term absorbentgenerally refers to articles that can be placed against or in proximityto the body of the wearer to absorb and/or retain various liquid wastesdischarged from the body. The absorbent article can be disposable, whichrefers to articles that are intended to be discarded after a limitedperiod of use instead of being laundered or otherwise restored forreuse. It is understood that the concepts described herein are suitablefor use with various other pants-type articles such as adultincontinence articles, as well as other articles intended for personalwear such as clothing, diapers, feminine hygiene products, medicalgarments, surgical pads and bandages, other personal care or health caregarments, and the like without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure.

By way of illustration only, various materials and methods forconstructing the training pants 20 are disclosed in PCT PatentApplication WO 00/37009 published Jun. 29, 2000 by A. Fletcher et al;U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,464 issued Jul. 10, 1990 to Van Gompel et al.; andU.S. Pat. No. 5,766,389 issued Jun. 16, 1998 to Brandon et al., whichare incorporated herein by reference.

Training pants typically do not have easy grasp point to open the sideseam. A finger tab can be added to facilitate a grasping point. Thepresent disclosure is directed to a process for making a pant-likeabsorbent garment having refastenable fasteners, such as hook and loopfasteners, on the side panels for ease of removal and donning of theabsorbent garment without complete removal of a wearer's clothing. Apant design advantageous for either an end-to-end or side-by-sidemanufacturing process increases the ease of opening a mechanicalfastener side seam by enabling the user to manipulate a finger tab in aless resistant longitudinal peel motion as compared to a more resistanttransverse peel motion. Training pant mechanical fasteners typicallyhave a longitudinal disengagement peel strength that is significantlyless than the transverse disengagement peel strength. The transversedisengagement is done over a shorter distance, but its greater widthrequires a greater disengagement force per unit (e.g., mm) of peel.Conversely, the longitudinal disengagement is done over a greaterdistance, but its lesser width requires a lesser disengagement force perunit (e.g., mm) of peel.

Conventional refastenable tabs on refastenable side seam training pantslock up side panel stretch because the non-extensible hook on such tabsengages with an extensible side panel, thus reducing the amount of sidepanel material available for stretch. Less side panel material availablefor stretch then increases the force necessary to extend the material toa given extension point, increases the loading or stress at the sideseam and causing a need to increase the side seam engagement strength tokeep the side seam/pant closed. In addition, the greater side seamengagement strength requires the user to apply greater energy todisengage or open the side seam for removal of the training pants.

Conventional tabs on refastenable side seam training pants are alsorequired to be robust in their materials and in their attachmentsbecause they act perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the sideseam to open the article along a seam that is perpendicular and largerin width than the tab, thus requiring an attachment strength greaterthan the disengagement force needed to open the side seam. The side seamof refastenable side seam training pants is designed with an engagementstrength sufficient to keep the side seam/pant closed during wear. Whena caregiver grasps the tab in an attempt to open the side seam, thecaregiver must apply enough force to overcome the engagement strength ofthe side seam. Such force is transmitted through the tab and itsattachment; a greater engagement strength requires more disengagementforce and, therefore, a tab more able to accommodate the increasedforce.

As a result of this relationship, tab robustness is related to the forcenecessary to open the seam. The engageable side seam shear strengthlikely represents the maximum force required to open the side seamduring use. In a typical article, the peel disengagement isperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the side seam, and thecaregiver/tab is still acting against the greater longitudinal height ofthe fastener within the side seam.

What this means for training pant design is that refastenable side panelloading to extend is reduced by not locking up stretch. Reduced loadingon the side seam means the side seam engagement strength can be lowerwithout negatively impacting the frequency of side seam pop-opens. Alower required side seam engagement strength means that the side seamfasteners can use less fastening material such as less hook material,less aggressive hook material, lower bond strengths, fewer bond points,less adhesive, or some combination of these and other factors. A lowerrequired side seam engagement strength also means that the forcerequired to disengage the side seam is reduced.

As a result, the solution is to use a finger tab that doesn't lock upstretch. A finger tab design that doesn't lock up stretch allows for aless robust side seam and therefore a less robust finger tab. Thissolution reduces the amount of material and processing necessary for thefinger tab, and avoids the need to increase the amount of expensive sidepanel material to account for locked-up stretch.

The finger tab of the present application accomplishes this solution byproviding a finger tab that does not lock up side panel stretch.

The pair of training pants 20 is illustrated in FIG. 1 in a fullypre-assembled (i.e., as assembled during initial manufacture)configuration (broadly referred to herein as a wear configuration of thepants, i.e., absorbent article) and in FIG. 2 in a partially unfastenedcondition. The training pants 20 includes a front waist region 22, aback waist region 24, a crotch region 26 extending longitudinallybetween and interconnecting the front and back waist regions along alongitudinal direction of the pants, an inner surface 28 configured forcontiguous relationship with the wearer, and an outer surface 30opposite the inner surface. With additional reference to FIGS. 3 and 4,the training pants 20 also has a pair of laterally opposite side edges36 and a pair of longitudinally opposite waist edges, respectivelydesignated front waist edge 38 and back waist edge 39. The front waistregion 22 is contiguous with the front waist edge 38, and the back waistregion 24 is contiguous with the back waist edge 39.

The illustrated pants 20 includes a central absorbent assembly,generally indicated at 32, which when laid flat as in FIGS. 3 and 4 canbe rectangular or any other desired shape. A pair of laterally oppositefront side panels 34 extends outward from the absorbent assembly 32 atthe front waist region 22 (thereby forming transversely outer portionsof the front waist region, and more broadly in part forming transverselyopposite sides of the training pants). Laterally opposite back sidepanels 134 extend outward from the absorbent assembly 32 at the backwaist region 24 (thereby forming transversely outer portions of the backwaist region, and together with the front side panels 34 furtherdefining the sides of the pants).

The central absorbent assembly 32 of the illustrated aspect includes anouter cover 40 and a bodyside liner 42 (FIGS. 1 and 2) connected to theouter cover in a superposed relation by suitable means such asadhesives, ultrasonic bonds, thermal bonds or other conventionaltechniques. An absorbent structure 44 (FIG. 4) is disposed between theouter cover and the bodyside liner. A pair of containment flaps 46 (FIG.4) is secured to the bodyside liner 42 for inhibiting the lateral flowof body exudates. The central absorbent assembly 32 has opposite endsthat form portions of the front and back waist edges 38 and 39, andopposite side edges 47 that form portions of the side edges 36 of thetraining pants 20 (FIGS. 3 and 4).

The absorbent assembly 32 and side panels 34, 134 can include two ormore separate elements, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, or they can beintegrally formed. Integrally formed side panels 34, 134 and absorbentassembly 32 would include at least some common materials, such as thebodyside liner, flap composite, outer cover, other materials and/orcombinations thereof, and could define a one-piece elastic, stretchable,or nonstretchable pants 20. For further reference, arrows 48 and 49 inFIGS. 3 and 4 depict the orientation of a longitudinal axis and atransverse or lateral axis, respectively, of the training pants 20.

With the training pants 20 in the fastened condition as illustratedfully in FIG. 1 and partially in FIG. 2, the front and back side panels34, 134 are attached to each other by a primary, or article fasteningsystem 80 to define the pre-assembled three-dimensional wearconfiguration of the pants, having a waist opening 50 and a pair of legopenings 52. The front waist region 22 includes the portion of thetraining pants 20 that, when worn, is positioned at least in part on thefront of the wearer while the back waist region 24 includes the portionof the training pants that is positioned at least in part on the back ofthe wearer. The crotch region 26 of the training pants 20 includes theportion of the training pants 20 that is positioned between the legs ofthe wearer and covers the lower torso of the wearer.

The front and back side panels 34 and 134 include the portions of thetraining pants 20 (and more particularly of the front and back waistregions 22, 24) that, when worn, are positioned on the hips of thewearer. The attached side panels 34, 134 thus broadly define thetransversely opposite sides of the pants 20 at an engagement seam 66along which the fastening system 80 releasably attaches the front andback side panels. The waist edges 38 and 39 of the training pants 20 areconfigured to encircle the waist of the wearer and together define thewaist opening 50 (FIG. 1). Portions of the side edges 36 in the crotchregion 26 generally define the leg openings 52.

The central absorbent assembly 32 is configured to contain and/or absorbexudates discharged from the wearer. For example, the containment flaps46 are configured to provide a barrier to the transverse flow of bodyexudates. A flap elastic member 53 (FIG. 4) can be operatively joinedwith each containment flap 46 in any suitable manner as is well known inthe art. The elasticized containment flaps 46 define a partiallyunattached edge that assumes an upright configuration in at least thecrotch region 26 of the training pants 20 to form a seal against thewearer's body. The containment flaps 46 can be located along the sideedges 36 of the pants 20, and can extend longitudinally along the entirelength of the absorbent assembly 32 or can only extend partially alongthe length of the absorbent assembly. Suitable constructions andarrangements for the containment flaps 46 are generally well known tothose skilled in the art and are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,116issued Nov. 3, 1987 to Enloe, which is incorporated herein by reference.

To further enhance containment and/or absorption of body exudates, thetraining pants 20 also suitably includes a front waist elastic member 54(FIG. 4), a rear waist elastic member 56, and leg elastic members 58, asare known to those skilled in the art. The waist elastic members 54 and56 can be attached to the outer cover 40 and/or the bodyside liner 42along the opposite waist edges 38 and 39, and can extend over part orall of the waist edges. The leg elastic members 58 can be attached tothe outer cover 40 and/or the bodyside liner 42 along the opposite sideedges 36 and positioned in the crotch region 26 of the training pants20. The leg elastic members 58 can be longitudinally aligned along eachside edge 47 of the absorbent assembly 32.

The outer cover 40 suitably includes a material that is substantiallyliquid impermeable. The outer cover 40 can be a single layer of liquidimpermeable material, but more suitably includes a multi-layeredlaminate structure in which at least one of the layers is liquidimpermeable. The inner layer of the outer cover 40 can be both liquidand vapor impermeable, or it can be liquid impermeable and vaporpermeable.

It is also contemplated that the outer cover 40 can be stretchable, andmore suitably elastic. In particular, the outer cover 40 is suitablystretchable and more suitably elastic in at least the transverse orcircumferential direction of the pants 20. In other aspects the outercover can be stretchable, and more suitably elastic, in both thetransverse and the longitudinal direction.

The liquid permeable bodyside liner 42 is illustrated as overlying theouter cover 40 and absorbent core 44, and can, but need not, have thesame dimensions as the outer cover 40. The bodyside liner 42 is suitablycompliant, soft feeling, and non-irritating to the child's skin.Further, the bodyside liner 42 can be less hydrophilic than theabsorbent structure 44 to present a relatively dry surface to the wearerand permit liquid to readily penetrate through its thickness.Alternatively, the bodyside liner 42 can be more hydrophilic or can haveessentially the same affinity for moisture as the absorbent structure 44to present a relatively wet surface to the wearer to increase thesensation of being wet. This wet sensation can be useful as a trainingaid. The hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties can be varied across thelength, width and/or depth of the bodyside liner 42 and absorbentstructure 44 to achieve the desired wetness sensation or leakageperformance.

The bodyside liner 42 can also be stretchable, and more suitablyelastic. In particular, the bodyside liner 42 is suitably stretchableand more suitably elastic in at least the transverse 49, orcircumferential direction of the pants 20. In other aspects, thebodyside liner 42 can be stretchable, and more suitably elastic, in boththe transverse 49 and the longitudinal 48 directions.

As noted previously, the illustrated training pants 20 have front andback side panels 34 and 134 defining transversely opposite sides of thepants in the wear configuration of the pants. The side panels 34, 134can be permanently attached along seams 66 to the central absorbentassembly 32 in the respective front and back waist regions 22 and 24.More particularly, as seen best in FIGS. 2 and 3, the front side panels34 can be permanently attached to and extend transversely outward beyondthe side edges 47 of the absorbent assembly 32 in the front waist region22, and the back side panels 134 can be permanently attached to andextend transversely outward beyond the side edges of the absorbentassembly in the back waist region 24. The side panels 34 and 134 can beattached to the absorbent assembly 32 using attachment means known tothose skilled in the art such as adhesive, thermal, pressure orultrasonic bonding. Alternatively, the side panels 34 and 134 can beformed as an integral portion of a component of the absorbent assembly32. For example, the side panels can include a generally wider portionof the outer cover 40, the bodyside liner 42, and/or another componentof the absorbent assembly 32.

The front and back side panels 34, 134 each have an outer edge 68 spacedlaterally from the seam 66, a leg end edge 70 disposed toward thelongitudinal center of the training pants 20, and a waist end edge 72disposed toward a longitudinal end of the training pants. The leg endedge 70 and waist end edge 72 extend from the side edges 47 of theabsorbent assembly 32 to the outer edges 68. The leg end edges 70 of theside panels 34 and 134 form part of the side edges 36 of the trainingpants 20. The leg end edges 70 of the illustrated aspect are suitablycurved and/or angled relative to the transverse axis 49 to provide abetter fit around the wearer's legs. However, it is understood that onlyone of the leg end edges 70 can be curved or angled, such as the leg endedge of the back waist region 24, or neither of the leg end edges can becurved or angled, without departing from the scope of this disclosure.The waist end edges 72 are suitably parallel to the transverse axis 49.The waist end edges 72 of the front side panels 34 form part of thefront waist edge 38 of the training pants 20, and the waist end edges 72of the back side panels 134 form part of the back waist edge 39 of thepants.

The side panels 34, 134 suitably, although not necessarily, include astretchable material capable of stretching in a direction generallyparallel to the transverse axis 49 of the training pants 20. Moresuitably the side panels 34, 134 include an elastic material. Suitableelastic materials, as well as one process of incorporating stretchableside panels into training pants, are described in the following U.S.Pat. No. 4,940,464 issued Jul. 10, 1990 to Van Gompel et al.; U.S. Pat.No. 5,224,405 issued Jul. 6, 1993 to Pohjola; U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,116issued Apr. 14, 1992 to Pohjola; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,272 issued Sep.10, 1991 to Vogt et al.; all of which are incorporated herein byreference. In particular aspects, the stretch material can include astretch-thermal laminate (STL), a neck-bonded laminate (NBL), areversibly necked laminate, or a stretch-bonded laminate (SBL) material.Methods of making such materials are well known to those skilled in theart and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,220 issued May 5, 1987 toWisneski et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,992 issued Jul. 13, 1993 to Morman;European Patent Application No. EP 0 217 032 published on Apr. 8, 1987in the name of Taylor et al.; and PCT application WO 01/88245 in thename of Welch et al.; all of which are incorporated herein by reference.Other suitable materials are described in U.S. patent application Ser.Nos. 12/649,508 to Welch et al. and 12/023,447 to Lake et al., all ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference.

Alternatively, the side panel material can include other woven ornonwoven materials, such as those described above as being suitable forthe outer cover 40 or bodyside liner 42; mechanically pre-strainedcomposites; or stretchable but inelastic materials.

The absorbent structure 44 can be any structure that is generallycompressible, conformable, non-irritating to the wearer's skin andcapable of absorbing and retaining liquid body exudates, and can bemanufactured in a wide variety of sizes and shapes, and from a widevariety of absorbent materials commonly used in the art.

The article fastening system 80 includes laterally opposite firstarticle fastening components 82 adapted for refastenable engagement tocorresponding second article fastening components 84. In one aspect, afront or outer surface of each of the article fastening components 82,84 includes a plurality of engaging elements. The engaging elements ofthe first article fastening components 82 are adapted to repeatedlyengage and disengage corresponding engaging elements of the secondarticle fastening components 84 to releasably secure the pants 20 in itsthree-dimensional configuration. The article fastening system 80provides an attachment of a strength sufficient to maintain the articlein a wear configuration during use of the pants 20 by the wearer.

The article fastening components 82, 84 can include any refastenablefasteners suitable for absorbent articles, such as adhesive fasteners,cohesive fasteners, mechanical fasteners, or the like. In particularaspects, the article fastening components 82, 84 include mechanicalfastening components for improved performance. Suitable mechanicalfastening components can be provided by interlocking geometric shapedmaterials, such as hooks, loops, bulbs, mushrooms, arrowheads, balls onstems, male and female mating components, buckles, snaps, or the like.

In the illustrated aspect, the first article fastening components 82(i.e., one on each side of the training pants 20) include loop fastenersand the second article fastening components 84 include complementaryhook fasteners. Alternatively, the first article fastening components 82can include hook fasteners and the second article fastening components84 can include complementary loop fasteners. In another aspect, thearticle fastening components 82, 84 can include interlocking similarsurface fasteners, or adhesive and cohesive fastening elements such asan adhesive fastener and an adhesive-receptive landing zone or material;or the like. Although the training pants 20 illustrated in FIG. 1 showthe back side panels 134 overlapping the front side panels 34 uponconnection thereto, which is convenient, the training pants 20 can alsobe configured so that the front side panels overlap the back side panelswhen connected. One skilled in the art will recognize that the shape,density and polymer composition of the hooks and loops can be selectedto obtain the desired level of engagement between the article fasteningcomponents 82, 84. A more aggressive hook material can include amaterial with a greater average hook height and/or a greater percentageof directionally-aligned hooks. When engaged, the article fasteningcomponents 82, 84 of the illustrated aspect define the refastenableengagement seams 66 (FIG. 2).

As discussed above, in one particularly suitable aspect, as best seen inFIGS. 2 and 4, the back side panels 134 are constructed so that theinner surfaces of the respective back side panels define loop articlefastening components 82 (i.e., the back side panels 134 and the articlefastening components 82 are formed integrally). It is understood,however, that the loop article fastening components 82 can be formedseparate from the back side panels 134 and attached thereto, such as byadhesive, thermal bonds, ultrasonic bonds, pressure bonds or othersuitable techniques without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

An easy opening side (EOS) finger tab is attached to and overhangs thecross-direction side panel edge for ease of opening. This easy openingside design causes the user to grab and pull the EOS tab in amachine-direction, longitudinal peel motion. A typical side seamattachment/engagement zone has a longitudinal length four times greaterthan its transverse width. As a result, a longitudinal motion peelmotion requires at least four times less energy to open the side seam ascompared to a transverse or cross-direction peel motion. A cut-in-placetype of operation well known in the business can place the EOS tab atthe panel edge such that the EOS tab feature extends from the pant edge.This enables the user to grab and pull in a longitudinal motion.

With particular reference now to FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, a secondary, orfinger tab system, generally indicated at 200, is provided for use inopening the side seam 66 of the training pants 20. As illustrated inFIGS. 2 and 4, the finger tab system includes a tab 202 attached to eachof the back side panels 134 (broadly, to the transversely opposite sidesof the training pants 20) and extending in part transversely outward ofthe respective back side panels for opposed relationship with thecorresponding front side panels in the wear configuration of the pants.Each finger tab 202 has a distal end 203 and a proximal end 205, andincludes an attachment region 204 generally at the proximal end 205 andat which the finger tab 202 is attached to the respective back sidepanel 134, and a tab region 206 generally at the distal end 203 andextending transversely outward from the attachment region 204. Thefinger tab 202 forms a tab line 207 where the finger tab 202 intersectsthe front or back side panel 34, 134. More suitably, the tab region 206of the finger tab 202 can include at least one tab fastener region 208having a tab fastening component 212 for use in securing the finger tab202 to the training pants 20, and can further include a grip region 210transversely outward of the tab fastener region 208 for use in manuallygripping and manipulating the finger tab 202 relative to the pants 20.

The tab region 206 via its fastener region 208 can be releasablyattached to a side panel when the pants 20 is in a wear configuration.Such a releasable attachment by the tab region 206 alone, however,provides an attachment strength that is insufficient to maintain thepants 20 in a wear configuration during use of the pants 20 by thewearer.

The article fastening system 80 includes an article fastener landingzone 230, which is the portion of the side panel 34, 134 to which thearticle fastening component 84 engages. The article fastening component84 fastens to the article fastener landing zone 230 to form a seam 66when the article 20 is in a wear configuration. Similarly, the front orback side panel 34, 134 includes a tab landing zone 235, which is theportion of the side panel 34, 134 to which the tab fastening component212 engages. The tab fastening component 212 fastens to the tab landingzone 235 to form a tab connection 240 when the article 20 is in a wearconfiguration. In this aspect, the tab connection 240 has lower peel andshear strengths per unit area than the peel and shear strengths per unitarea of the seam 66 to allow the tab connection 240 to disengage whenthe side panel stretches, thus allowing full use of the stretch inherentin the side panel material.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, the tab landing zone 235includes a material having lower peel and shear strengths than thematerial of the article fastener landing zone 230. The material of thetab landing zone 235 can be differentiated by treatment of the sidepanel material, by selecting a different material for a portion of theside panel, or by adding material to the side panel in either the tablanding zone 235, the article fastener landing zone 230, or in both. Forexample, the material of the tab landing zone 235 can an added materialcoupled to the side panel, the side panel including side panel material,wherein the added material has lower peel and shear strengths than theside panel material. In a particular example, the article fasteningcomponent 84 is coupled to the front side panel 34, and the finger tab202 is attached to the rear side panel 134.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a given side panel can havean inner surface and an outer surface, where the inner surface has peeland shear strengths when used in conjunction with a given hook materialthat are different from the peel and shear strengths of the outersurface when used in conjunction with the same hook material. In analternative aspect of the present disclosure, one of the front and backside panels 34, 134 has an inner surface, and the other of the front andback side panels 34, 134 has an outer surface. In this aspect, the innersurface has peel and shear strengths when used in conjunction with agiven hook material that are different from the peel and shear strengthsof the outer surface when used in conjunction with the same hookmaterial. In these aspects, the tab fastening component 212 can fastento one of the inner and outer surfaces, with the article fasteningcomponent 84 fastening to the other of the inner and outer surfaces.

In an alternative aspect of the present disclosure, the differences inpeel and shear strengths can be provided by using hook materials ofdifferent strengths or aggressiveness. For example, the tab fasteningcomponent 212 can have lower peel and shear strengths per unit area whenengaged to a side panel material than the peel and shear strengths perunit area of the article fastening component 84 when engaged to the sameside panel material.

In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, the differences in peeland shear strengths can be provided by using a reduced amount of hookmaterial for the tab fastening component 212. For example, the tabfastening component 212 can have a width less than 12 mm in thetransverse direction with the tab connection providing a peel strengthless than 25 grams and a shear strength less than 100 grams. In anotherexample, the tab fastening component 212 has a width less than 6 mm inthe transverse direction with the tab connection providing a peelstrength less than 25 grams and a shear strength less than 100 grams. Instill another example, the tab fastening component 212 has a width lessthan 3 mm in the transverse direction with the tab connection providinga peel strength less than 25 grams and a shear strength less than 100grams.

In alternate aspects of the present disclosure, the finger tab 202 canextend longitudinally beyond the waist edge 38, 39 of the pants 20, orthe finger tab 202 can be disposed such that it does not extendlongitudinally beyond the waist edge 38, 39 of the pants 20. Finally,the longitudinal height of the distal end 203 of the finger tab 202 canbe equal to the longitudinal height of the tab line 207. In otheraspects, the longitudinal height of the distal end 203 of the finger tab202 can be greater than the longitudinal height of the tab line 207, orthe longitudinal height of the distal end 203 of the finger tab 202 canbe less than the longitudinal height of the tab line 207.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-4,the finger tab 202 is substantially a rectangular shape that allows thefinger tab 202 to be cut from a web, a sheet, or a roll with little tono loss of material, particularly in view of the material waste inherentin a conventional arcuate or sinusoidal tab shape. Also, the rectangularshape of the finger tab 202 allows a wearer or caregiver to easilyaccess and lift the tab region 206 of the finger tab 202 that isotherwise releasably attached to the pants 20. In alternative aspects ofthe present disclosure, the finger tab 202 can have any shape that meetsthe requirements described herein.

The tab fastening component 212 of the illustrated tab fastener region208 includes a hook fastener. The tab fastener region 208 can includeone, two, or more lanes or rows of hook material. The outer surface ofeach front side panel 34 suitably defines a corresponding fasteningcomponent, e.g., a loop fastener, to permit the finger tab 202 on eachside of the pants 20 to be attached at its tab fastener region 208 tothe respective front side panel (i.e., broadly, to the pants 20) in thewear configuration of the pants 20. For example, the front side panel 34in one particularly suitable aspect can be constructed of VFL materialas described previously so that the outer surface of the front sidepanel 34 itself defines a loop fastening component. Alternatively, aloop fastener component (not shown) can be formed separately from thefront side panel 34 and attached to the panel outer surface withoutdeparting from the scope of this disclosure. The outer facing surface 30of the outer cover 40 of the pants 20 is also suitably constructed todefine a loop fastener, such as by forming the outer cover of a materialthat defines a loop fastening component (e.g., VFL or other suitablematerial) or by forming a separate loop fastening component andattaching it to the outer surface of the pants outer cover, to permitattachment of the finger tab 202 to the outer cover in the disposalconfiguration of the pants 20.

It is understood that the tab fastening component(s) 212 defining theone or more tab fastener regions 208 of the finger tab 202 can insteadbe a loop fastener component, with the outer surfaces of the front sidepanels 34 and outer cover 40 of the pants 20 being constructed to definecorresponding hook fastening components. In other aspects, the tabfastening component 212 defining the tab fastener region(s) 208 and theouter surfaces of the front side panels 34 and pants outer cover 40 caninclude other suitable releasably attachable fasteners without departingfrom the scope of this disclosure. It is also contemplated that the tabfastening component 212 defining the tab fastener region 208 can bereleasably attachable to the pants 20 (e.g., to the front side panel 34)in the wear configuration but otherwise more permanently attachableelsewhere on the pants (e.g., to the outer cover 40) in the disposalconfiguration of the pants. The term permanent attachment is intendedherein to refer to an attachment that is generally not releasablewithout some damage or substantially reduced ability to reattach to thefastening component and/or the component to which the fasteningcomponent is attached.

In one alternative aspect, the tab region 206 of the finger tab 202includes at least one gap region 218 between the attachment region 204and the tab fastener region 208 to allow for manufacturing tolerances inpreventing the tab fastening component 212 from being attached to theside panel. In other words, the gap region 218 allows the tab fastenerregion 208 to be free from bonding to the pants 20. Such an arrangementfurther reduces the opportunity for hook-on-hook interface between thetab fastening component 212 and the article fastening system 80.

In the illustrated aspect, the finger tabs 202 attach to the outersurfaces of the front side panels 34 (e.g., outer surface 30 of pants20) in the wear configuration of the article. It is contemplated that inthe wear configuration the finger tabs 202 can be configured to attachto the inner surfaces of the front side panels 34 (e.g., inner surface28 of pants 20) and remain within the scope of this disclosure.

The attachment region 204 of each finger tab 202 is suitably attached tothe respective back side panel 134 (broadly, to the respective side ofthe pants 20) and in the illustrated aspect is attached to the innersurface of the back side panel. It is understood, however, that theattachment region 204 can instead be attached to the outer surface ofthe back side panel 134. The attachment region 204, in the aspect inwhich the back side panel 134 overlaps the front side panel 34, is moresuitably attached to the back side panel adjacent the transverse edge ofthe back side panel. But the attachment region 204 can instead beattached to the back side panel 134 more transversely distal from thetransverse edge of the back side panel, such as when the front sidepanel 34 overlaps the back side panel, without departing from the scopeof this disclosure.

The attachment region 204 of each finger tab 202 is suitably attached tothe inner surface of the back side panel 134, such as by adhesive,thermal bonding, ultrasonic bonding, pressure bonding, or other suitableattachment technique. More suitably, an attachment face 214 (FIG. 4) ofeach finger tab 202 is attached to the inner surface of the back sidepanel 134 at the attachment region 204 of the tab. The tab region 206 ofeach finger tab 202 extends transversely outward of the attachmentregion 204 into overlapping or opposed relationship with the outersurface of the corresponding front side panel 34 so that the tab regionis accessible exterior of the pants 20 in the wear configuration of thepants. It is understood, however, that the tab region 206 can instead bein opposed relationship with and releasably attachable to the innersurface of the front side panel 34 without departing from the scope ofthis disclosure.

In another aspect, the tab region 206 of each finger tab 202 is suitablypositioned generally longitudinally offset along the length of the sideof the pants 20 (e.g., between the waist opening 50 and respective legopening 52), and in particular at the engagement seam 66 between thefront and back side panels 34, 134. For processing ease and aidingperformance attributes associated with the finger tab 202, the fingertab 202 is positioned at least 5 mm from the waist opening 50 of thepants 20.

The tab fastener region 208 of each finger tab 202 suitably extendslengthwise of the tab, within the tab region 206 thereof, to the edgesof the finger tab 202 at the tab region 206. It is understood, however,that the fastener region 208 need not extend the full length of thefinger tab 202 at the tab region 206 to remain within the scope of thisdisclosure.

When the finger tab 202 includes a grip region 210 such as in theillustrated aspect of FIGS. 1-4, the finger tab 202 is suitablyconstructed so that the grip region 210 is non-attachable to the pants20, at least in the wear configuration of the pants 20. The termnon-attachable as used in this instance means that the grip region 210is not releasably or otherwise removably attachable to the pants 20 inthe wear configuration thereof, nor is the grip region 210 permanentlyattached to the pants 20. In one aspect, the grip region 210 extendstransversely outward from the tab fastener region 208 of each finger tab202 a distance of at least about 1 mm, such as in the range of about 1mm to about 10 mm to provide sufficient unattached material of the tabfor readily gripping and pulling on the tab.

In one aspect, each finger tab 202 is suitably constructed of a basesubstrate 216 having a tab fastening component 212 (e.g., a hookfastening component in the illustrated aspect) attached thereto such asby adhesive bonding, thermal bonding, ultrasonic bonding, pressurebonding, or other suitable technique to define the tab fastener region208 of the finger tab 202. In certain aspects, the base substrate 216can be constructed such that, other than the fastener region 208, thefinger tab 202 is not releasably attachable to the pants 20,particularly at the grip region 210 (if provided) of the finger tab 202.In one particularly suitable aspect, the base substrate 216 is lessstretchable (at least in the transverse direction thereof) than thepants 20 (in the transverse, or circumferential direction thereof) andmore suitably the base substrate is non-stretchable so that pulling onthe tab transversely of pants 20 to secure the pants 20 in theirdisposal configuration the pants 20 (and in particular the back sidepanels 134) are allowed to stretch. As an example, one suitable materialfrom which the base substrate 216 can be constructed is a three-layernonwoven polypropylene material known as SMS. SMS is an acronym forSpunbond-Meltblown-Spunbond, the process by which the three layers areconstructed and then laminated together. One example of an SMS materialis described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,203 to Brock et al. It should benoted, however, that other nonwovens as well as other materialsincluding wovens, films, foam/film laminates and combinations thereofcan be used to construct the finger tab 202 without departing from thescope of this disclosure.

In particular aspects, the base substrate 216 is constructed of amaterial that is releasably attachable with the article fastenercomponent 84 of the article fastening system 80. For example, inparticular aspects, the base substrate 216 is formed from a materialsuch as acrylic, polyamide, polyethylene, polypropylene or polyester,and is formed into a “loop”-type material by methods such as warpknitting, stitch bonding or needle punching. The base substrate 216 caninclude any fibrous structure capable of entangling or catching hookmaterials, such as carded, spunbonded or other nonwoven webs orcomposites, including elastomeric and nonelastomeric composites. Onematerial suitable for use as a base substrate 216 is available fromGuilford Mills, Inc., Greensboro, N.C., U.S.A. under the tradedesignation No. 36549. Another suitable base substrate material includesa pattern un-bonded web as disclosed in co-assigned U.S. Pat. No.5,858,515 issued Jan. 12, 1999 to Stokes, et al., which is incorporatedherein by reference to the extent consistent herewith. In particularaspects, the base substrate 216 can include a “loop”-type material asjust discussed but that is attached to a backing structure, and thecomposite is then attached to the pants 20, such as along the side edgesof the front or back side panels 34, 134.

As previously discussed, in particular aspects each of the transverselyopposite sides of the pants 20 include a material (such as, for example,a nonwoven material) that is releasably engageable with the hookmaterial of the primary fastening system. When the article is fastenedin the wear configuration, it is possible in certain aspects that thehook material of article fastening system 80 simultaneously engages boththe base substrate 216 and an outer facing of the transversely oppositesides of the article (such as, for example, the outermost nonwovenfacing of an elastomeric nonwoven laminate). For example, if thegreatest length of the attachment region 204 of the finger tab 202 isless than the greatest length of the engagement seam, it is probablethat the refastenable seam 66 will be formed not only by engagement ofthe hook component to the base substrate 216, but also by engagement ofthe hook component to portions of the outer facing of the side panel 134that extend beyond the longitudinal ends of the attachment region 204 ofthe finger tab 202.

Similarly, if the greatest width of the attachment region 204 of thefinger tab 202 is less than the greatest width of the engagement seam,it is probable that the refastenable seam 66 will be formed not only byengagement of the hook component to the base substrate 216, but also byengagement of the hook component to portions of the outer facing of theside panel 134 that extend transversely inward of the longitudinal sideedge of the attachment region 204 of the finger tab 202, asrepresentatively illustrated in FIG. 1. However, it is not necessarythat the hook material of the article fastening system 80 simultaneouslyengage both the disposal-tab base substrate 216 and the transverselyopposite sides of the article. For example, if the greatest length ofthe attachment region 204 of the finger tab 202 is greater than thegreatest length of the engagement seam, and/or if the greatest width ofthe attachment region 204 of the finger tab 202 is greater than that thegreatest width of the engagement seam, the refastenable seam 66 can beformed solely by engagement of the hook component to the base substrate216.

In an alternative aspect of the present disclosure illustrated in FIG.5, the finger tab 202 can be arranged such that the article fasteningcomponent 84 and the tab fastening component 212 are generally colinearand are both generally equidistant from the longitudinal centerline whenthe article is in a wear configuration. Eliminating the tab connection240 from its typical position between the seam 66 and the longitudinalcenterline allows full use of the stretch inherent in the side panelmaterial. In one example of this aspect, the article fastening component84 extends only partially from the leg opening 52 to the waist opening50, leaving a longitudinal gap having no article fastening component.The finger tab 202 with its tab fastening component 212 is disposed suchthat the tab fastening component 212 is positioned in the gap when thearticle 20 is in a wear configuration. In another example of thisaspect, a portion of the tab fastening component 212 overlies a portionof the article fastening component 84. In these aspects, it is preferredto have the finger tab 202 disposed closer to the waist opening 50 thanto the leg openings 52.

In a related aspect of the present disclosure illustrated in FIG. 6, thefinger tab 202 is disposed such that the hook material of the tabfastening component 212 overlies and engages the hook material of thearticle fastening component 84 when the article is in a wearconfiguration. In one example of this aspect, the engagement between thetab fastening component 212 and the article fastening component 84provides a peel strength between 5 and 50 grams and a shear strengthgreater than 50 grams. In another example of this aspect, the engagementbetween the tab fastening component 212 and the article fasteningcomponent 84 provides a peel strength between 5 and 50 grams and a shearstrength greater than 250 grams. In still another example of thisaspect, the engagement between the tab fastening component 212 and thearticle fastening component 84 provides a peel strength between 5 and 50grams and a shear strength greater than 500 grams.

In use, the training pants 20 are constructed and pre-assembled in theirwear configuration, with the article fastening system 80 releasablyattaching the front and back waist regions 22, 24 (and more particularlythe front and back side panels 34, 134 in the illustrated aspect). Thetab fastener region 208 of each finger tab 202 is releasably attached tothe outer surface of the respective front side panel 34 to releasablyattach the tab region 206 of each finger tab 202 to the pants 20 in thewear configuration of the pants 20.

When the pants 20 are to be discarded after use, the pants 20 can beslipped off of the wearer in the manner of conventional underpants, orthe front and back waist regions 22, 24 can be detached from each other(e.g., by separation of the article fastening components 82, 84 of thearticle fastening system 80) and the pants 20 removed from the wearer.Where the front and back waist regions 22, 24 are separated to removethe pants 20, the tab fastener regions 208 of the finger tabs 202 mustbe detached from the front waist region (e.g., from the front sidepanels 34). To detach the tab fastener regions 208 of the finger tabs202 illustrated in the aspect of FIGS. 1-4, the grip region 210 of eachfinger tab 202 is gripped between the thumb and forefinger and pulledaway from the front side panel 34 until the tab fastener region 208breaks free from its attachment to the front side panel 34.

Peel Strength Test

The level of securement of any particular area of the finger tab orrefastenable seam can be quantified using the following Peel Testmethod, which is designed to quantify, in grams, the peak and theaverage dynamic peel strength of the refastenable seam holding the frontwaist region of the absorbent article to the rear waist region, or ofthe connection between the finger tab and a side panel. The refastenableseam is used in this description as an example. The direction of removalor peel in this disclosure is that direction in which the fastenermaterial would generally be removed from a substrate when the product isin use. This direction is in the transverse direction for a typicalfinger tab and more parallel to a longitudinal centerline of the productfor the finger tab described herein.Sample PreparationThe size of suitable samples of refastenable seam material having asingle enhanced refastenable attachment zone can measure 7.6 cm. by 1.9cm. (3 by 0.75 inch), with the enhanced refastenable attachment zonelocated 0.6 cm. (0.25 inch) inboard of one end edge. The size of thesample may need to be adjusted for different refastenable seamconfigurations.Equipment1. Constant rate of extension tensile tester equipped with anappropriate load cell. A suitable tensile testing system is a SintechTensile Tester, commercially available from MTS, Research Triangle Park,N.C., under the trade designation Sintech Model 1/G Tensile Tester.2. Software commercially obtained from MTS under the trade designationMTS TESTWORKS® for Windows Version 3.10.3. Pneumatic-action grips commercially available from InstronCorporation, Canton, Mass., under the trade designation Instron Model2712-004.4. 2.5 cm. by 10.1 cm. (1 by 4 inch) grip faces, rubber coated,commercially available from Instron Corporation, Canton, Mass.5. Test facility having a temperature of 23±1° C., and a relativehumidity of 50±2 percent.Test Procedure1. A sample to be tested is conditioned in the test facility for atleast 4 hours prior to testing.2. A 2041.2 grams (4.5 lb.) roller with a total diameter of 95 mm., theouter 6.7 mm. of which is rubber, is rolled over the sample from one endto the other and then back again (1 cycle).3. The load cell is calibrated and the software loaded.4. The grips are installed on the tensile tester with the jaws closed.5. The test conditions for the tensile tester are set as follows:Crosshead speed: 500 millimeters/minuteFull-scale load: 11.34 kilograms (25 lbs.)Gage length: 25.4 millimeters (1 inch)6. The weight of the clamp is tared out.7. The sample is pulled apart on the end opposite from the enhancedrefastenable attachment zone so that the fastening component and themating fastening component disengage to form free ends each 25.4millimeters long.8. The free end of the fastening component on the back waist region ofthe article is inserted into the upper jaw.9. The free end of the mating fastening component on the front waistregion of the article is inserted into the lower jaw, such that thefastened inner surface of the back waist region and the fastened innersurface of the front waist region are facing the same direction and areparallel to one another. The lower jaw is closed.10. The crosshead is started in motion, and the test is run until thefastening component and mating fastening component are no longerconnected.11. The average load needed to separate the fastener is recorded for therefastenable attachment zone by averaging load values at separationdistances that avoid any enhanced refastenable attachment zone, forexample from 1 cm. by 6.4 cm. (0.4 to 2.5 inch) for the sample specifiedin the Sample Preparation section above. The peak load needed toseparate the fastening components is recorded for the refastenableattachment zone(s). Two or more tests may be needed to obtain values forthe refastenable attachment zones.Shear Strength Test

This test method is designed to quantify, in grams, the peak dynamicshear strength of the releasable bonds assisting the primary fastenersin refastenably engaging the side panels to the front waist region ofthe absorbent article. The direction of force in this application isgenerally perpendicular to the longitudinal centerline of the product.

Equipment

1. Tensile tester capable of obtaining a peak load and equipped with anappropriate load cell. A suitable tensile testing system is a SintechTensile Tester, commercially available from MTS Sintech, ResearchTriangle Park, N.C., under the trade designation Instron Model 4201Tensile Tester with Sintech QAD (Quality Assurance Department) Software.2. Software commercially obtained from MTS Sintech under the tradedesignation Sintech Testworks™.3. Pneumatic-action grips commercially available from InstronCorporation, Canton, Mass., under the trade designation “Instron Model2712-004.”4. 1 by 4 inch grip faces, serrated, commercially available from InstronCorporation, Canton, Mass.5. Test facility having a temperature of 23±1° C., and a relativehumidity of 50±2 percent.Test Procedure1. A sample to be tested is conditioned in the test facility for atleast 4 hours prior to testing.2. The load cell is calibrated and the software loaded.3. The grips are installed on the tensile tester with the jaws closed.4. The test conditions for the tensile tester are set as follows:

Crosshead speed 500 millimeters/minute Full-scale load  5 kilogramsThreshold  5 percent Fail criterion  95 percent Gage length  50millimeters5. The weight of the clamp is tared out.6. The primary fastener tab of the fastening element on the side panelof the article is inserted into the upper jaw such that the edge of thegrip face is flush with the inner edge of the hook material.7. The front waist region of the article is inserted into the lower jawsuch that the inner surface of the side panel and the inner surface ofthe front waist region are facing the same direction and are parallel toone another. The lower jaw is closed.8. The crosshead is started in motion.9. The peak load of release is recorded.

When introducing elements of the present disclosure or the preferredaspect(s) thereof, the articles “a”, “an”, “the”, and “the” are intendedto mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms“comprising,” “including”, and “having” are intended to be inclusive andmean that there can be additional elements other than the listedelements.

The disclosure has been described with reference to various specific andillustrative aspects and techniques. However, it should be understoodthat many variations and modifications can be made while remainingwithin the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Many alternatives,modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in theart in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, this disclosureis intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, andvariations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An absorbent article for personal wearabout a wearer's waist, the article having a transverse axis andcomprising: a liquid permeable inner surface for facing the wearer; anouter surface for facing away from the wearer; an absorbent bodydisposed therebetween; a front waist region, a back waist region, and acrotch region extending longitudinally between and interconnecting thefront, and back waist regions; a front side panel attached to the frontwaist region and a back side panel attached to the back waist region,the front and back side panels being releasably attachable to define awear configuration of the absorbent article having a waist opening and aleg opening spaced from the waist opening, wherein the front and backside panels each extend from the waist opening to the leg opening; anarticle fastening component coupled to or integral with one of the frontand back side panels and an article fastener landing zone coupled to orintegral with the other of the front and back side panels, wherein thearticle fastening component is fastened to the article fastener landingzone to form a seam when the article is in a wear configuration; and afinger to attached to an other one the front and back side panels thatis not coupled with or integral with the article fastening component,the finger tab extending transversely outward from the other one of thefront and back side panels, wherein the tab includes a tab fasteningcomponent, wherein the one of front or back side panel includes a tablanding zone, wherein the tab fastening component is fastened to the tablanding zone to form a tab connection when the article is in a wearconfiguration, and wherein the tab connection has lower peel and shearstrengths per unit area than the peel and shear strengths per unit areaof the seam; wherein the tab landing zone has eel and shear strengthswith a given hook material different from the peel and shear strengthsof the material of the article fastener landing zone with the same hookmaterial.
 2. The article of claim 1, wherein the material of the tablanding zone is an added material coupled to the side panel, the sidepanel including side panel material, wherein the added material haslower peel and shear strengths than the side panel material when usedwith the same hook material.
 3. The article of claim 1, wherein thearticle fastening component is coupled to the front side panel, andwherein the finger tab is attached to the rear side panel.
 4. Thearticle of claim 1, further comprising a waist edge, wherein the fingertab does not extend longitudinally beyond the waist edge.
 5. The articleof claim 1, wherein the one of the front and back side panels has aninner surface and an outer surface, and wherein the inner surface haspeel and shear strengths with a given hook material different from thepeel and shear strengths of the outer surface with the same hookmaterial.
 6. The article of claim 1, wherein the one of the front andback side panels has an inner surface, wherein the other of the frontand back side panels has an outer surface, and wherein the inner surfacehas peel and shear strengths with a given hook material different fromthe peel and shear strengths of the outer surface with the same hookmaterial.
 7. The ankle of claim 6, wherein the tab fastening componentfastens to one of the inner and outer surfaces, and wherein the articlefastening component fastens to the other of the inner and outersurfaces.
 8. The article of claim 1, wherein the tab fastening componenthas lower peel and shear strengths per unit area when engaged to a sidepanel material than the peel and shear strengths per unit area of thearticle fastening component when engaged to the same side panelmaterial.
 9. The article of claim 1, wherein the tab fastening componenthas a width less than 12 mm in the transverse direction and wherein thetab connection provides a peel strength less than 25 grams and a shearstrength less than 50 grams.
 10. The article of claim 1, wherein the tabfastening component has a with less than 6 mm in the transversedirection and wherein the tab connection provides a peel strength lessthan 26 grams and a shear strength less than 50 grams.
 11. The articleof claim 1, wherein the tab fastening component has a width less than 3mm in the transverse direction and wherein the tab connection provides apeel strength less than 25 grams and a shear strength less than 50grams.
 12. An absorbent article for personal wear about a wearer'swaist, the article having a transverse axis, and a longitudinalcenterline, the article comprising: a liquid permeable inner surface forfacing the wearer; an outer surface for facing away from the wearer; anabsorbent body disposed therebetween; a front waist region, a back waistregion, and a crotch region extending longitudinally between andinterconnecting the front and back waist regions; a front side panelattached to the front waist region and a back side panel attached to theback waist region, the front and back side panels being releasablyattachable to define a wear configuration of the absorbent articlehaving a waist opening and a leg opening spaced from the waist opening,wherein the front and back side panels each extend from the waistopening to the leg opening; an article fastening component coupled to orintegral with one of the front and back side panels; and a finger tabattached to an other one of the front and back side panels that is notcoupled with or integral with the article fastening component, thefinger tab extending transversely outward from the other one of thefront and back side panels, wherein the tab includes a tab fasteningcomponent, and wherein the article fastening component and the tabfastening component are generally colinear and are both generallyequidistant from the longitudinal centerline when the article is in awear configuration; and wherein the article fastening component extendsonly partially from the leg opening to the waist opening, leaving alongitudinal gap having no article fastening component, and wherein thetab fastening component is disposed in the gap when the article is in awear configuration; and wherein a portion of the tab fastening componentoverlies a portion of the article fastening component.